Roadtrip Day 1

August 4, 2010 at 3:14 am (Uncategorized)

[editor’s note:  this post got lost in the shuffle of sketchy satellite wifi. It concerns events of August 1, 2010]

Can’t believe how easily we got to Fort Erie and through Customs at the Peace Bridge.  Of course, we’re not supposed to bring fruits or vegetables across the border at all, but I did tell the nice young Customs Officer that we were carrying just enough food for our snacks along the way.  Later Gayle told me that the cherries (contraband) were NOT good Ontario ones, but from the U.S.  They made a round trip.

The drive on I-90 was uneventful the whole way.  The Thruway is now offering free wifi at their rest stops.  I tried to Tweet out an update from my phone, but do you think I know how to Twitter yet?  I need someone who DOES to SHOW me.  I’ll just bring in the netbook next time.

The drive from I-90 to our KOA Cooperstown campground was just gorgeous!  Oh, that Appalachian Chain!  Lots of dairy farms around here.  It’s actually closer to Richfield than Cooperstown.  And for those of you who are “in the know” – yes!  It is the Cooperstown of baseball fame.

For supper, being all smelly and sweaty from our drive, and there being drizzly rain, we decided to go very casual for dinner.  We were told at a neighbouring motel that because of all the baseball folk, even the more upscale dining rooms accept our disheveled types.  However, we chose a homey, quaintly decorated place called the Tunnicliff Creamery, where Gayle ate a very generous bowl of homemade chili, remarking, “This is probably the best chili I’ve ever had!” I should say so!  I saw her pick up chunks of ground beef the size of her soup spoon, and boy, did that spoon move quickly!!

There are many and varied cultural opportunities in this county, it appears, from reading the local Sunday paper.  At Glimmerglass Opera this summer you can hear Puccini’s Tosca, The Tender Land by Copland, Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, or Tolomeo by Handel.  I’d say that’s a smattering of opera through the ages!  Looks like there will be lots of great events at the Richfield Spring Pride Days, too.

For those of you who were concerned:  We ditched the tent and rough camping gear at Gayle’s before we left and chose to bring her instead!  That means that we are now staying in the KOA Kabins, motels, and B & Bs instead.  Gayle thought there was a bad odour in our Kabin when we arrived, but it didn’t seem more than mothballs and disinfectant to me.  But then, I moronically left my newly-purchased sinus meds and heavy-duty antibiotics AT HOME, so perhaps my smeller is not working as well as hers.

There are quite a few Kampers here with little girls in a special baseball tournament at Cooperstown.  One of those young families from Michigan (Chuck & April) invited us over to their campfire for marshmallows (after Gayle taunted them, I must add).  We ended up taking the flute, guitar, and bodhran over to their neighbourly fire and entertained for s’mores until “quiet hour”.  mmmmmm!  We even had some little “song sparrows” come and sing Taylor Swift tunes for us to the accompaniment of their iPhones.  How sweet! Too bad we didn’t pre-arrange a concert with the owner/operators of this Kampground. She said she’d have given us our rental for free! Something to keep in mind next time around….